Cultural Self-Awareness
By Mowahid Hussain Shah

Change doesn’t necessarily require big movements. It sometimes comes through small steps and a dose of self-scrutiny.
In Pakistani society, a simple notion of first-come-first-served is yet to take root. First-time visitors to England and the US immediately are struck by the self-policing discipline of respecting the queue. Compare this to the routine disarray in Pakistani weddings during the serving of food.
Punctuality is another concept the routine breach of which has become an addictive social norm. Fun is sometimes made of people who are sticklers for time.
Many who pontificate a lot on reform have few qualms in nonchalantly throwing banana peels on the pavement and street. So, the issue of litter continues to accumulate. Because of weak community ethic, a simple gesture of cleaning up after oneself after going to the bathroom is not done. Ask those who travel PIA and their experiences.
An attitude of normal respect, courtesy, and consideration for others, irrespective of socio-economic status, is a missing gap. Being kind to the less fortunate is a phenomenon which stands out because it is not seen frequently.
All of these have to do with uneven traditions of fairness and equity. The constant refrain is on raising awareness. But even a crow has a keen awareness of his surroundings. It is humane fairness that makes life palatable.
In this connection, the unleashing of the media has only succeeded in metastasizing coarseness (bad-tameezi). The spectacle of televising daily dogfights on electronic media has played havoc with public ethics and contributed exponentially to mental pollution, which potentially poses an even greater threat than environmental pollution. Instead of being educative, the media, in effect, has been subversive. The issues of dignity, security, and governance get trampled.
The jumhooriet ka husn (beauty of democracy) sustains family monarchies and the dictatorship of the super-rich, leaving commonweal in the dust. There has never been a serious re-think of the existing system.
Common sense instructs that the beneficiaries at the helm would not voluntarily relinquish control of a system which perpetuates their narrowly focused special interests.
Yet, there are elements worthy of wider emulation, including but not limited to camaraderie, generosity, and sacrifice amongst friends and family.
It’s uncommon in the West to see Westerners call their counterparts and spontaneously fete them. The other evening at a Washington restaurant, the waitress was deeply impressed when she saw Pakistani friends vying with each other as to who would foot the entire bill.
The socio-economic “save, save” mantra prevalent in the West has hobbled generosity of spirit and impacts upon the epidemic of social isolation and loneliness. It is an ungraceful sight to see 3-4 friends eating dinner out at a restaurant and meticulously splitting the bill. It is a classic example of being penny wise and pound foolish. It diminishes the moral sway of follow-up reciprocating, with its enduring afterglow of goodwill and heart.
No wonder, in Britain, Prime Minister Theresa May was impelled to form the Ministry of Loneliness.
The “best” system or the “best” society is a delusion. There is always plenty of scope for improvement. But that requires the necessity of cultural self-awareness.